Using Multiple Methods to Assess Learning and Outcomes in an Online Degree‐Granting Dental Hygiene Program

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153641/1/jddj002203372012764tb05273x.pd

A Community-Based Dental Program for Older Adults

The planning and implementation of a community-based outreach program for older adults is described. Objectives of the program were to provide dental health education to older persons at their place of residence, to improve access to dental care for that population, and to increase the number of older adults treated at a dental facility administered by the Department of Community Dentistry, University of Michigan. Data collected during encounters with participants are reported to supplement the description of the program. In the first year, 98 older adults (mean age 71.3 years)participated in the outreach program which was directed by a dental hygienist. Of those persons whose initial encounter was with the outreach program, 47 percent eventually contacted the dental care facility and 36 percent completed treatment. Persons who elected to seek treatment averaged 3.9 encounters with the hygienist during the program; persons who did not seek treatment averaged 2.2 encounters. Strengths and weaknesses of the program are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66221/1/j.1752-7325.1984.tb03075.x.pd

Knowledge of Oral and Physical Manifestations of Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Among Dentists and Dental Hygienists

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153559/1/jddj002203372005693tb03921x.pd

Using Online Program Development to Foster Curricular Change and Innovation

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153766/1/jddj002203372011753tb05047x.pd

Dental Hygiene Education About Patients with Special Needs: A Survey of U.S. Programs

The objective of this study was to explore how dental hygiene programs in the United States educate their students about treating patients with special needs. Data were collected from 102 U.S. dental hygiene programs (response rate=49 percent) with a web‐based survey. Nearly all programs (98 percent) reported that they present this material in lectures. However, only 42 percent of the programs required students to gain clinical experiences with patients with special needs. Most programs covered the treatment of patients with physical/sensory impairments such as hearing impairments (93.1 percent), psychopathologies (89.2 percent), and adult onset neurological disorders (89.2 percent). Outcome assessments were usually done in a written exam (97.1 percent), while objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) (9.8 percent) and standardized patient experiences (4.9 percent) were less frequently used. Respondents identified “curriculum overload” as the biggest challenge to addressing special patient needs. Nevertheless, 29.4 percent of the respondents indicated that they support an increase in clinical experiences for students to give them increased opportunities to work with patients with special needs. Recent changes in accreditation standards require graduating dental hygiene students to be competent in assessing the treatment needs of special needs patients. Based on the program directors’ responses, recommendations can be made to increase the opportunities for students to have clinical experiences with patients with special needs and to address the needs of patients with special needs more comprehensively in dental hygiene curricula.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153598/1/jddj002203372008729tb04575x.pd